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Triple Suicide Blast Kills 15, Injures 130 in Chad: Report

Three suicide bombers attacked the island of Koulfoua on the Chadian side of Lake Chad on Saturday, killing around 15 people and injuring 130.
Image: Triple suicide blast kills around 30 people in Lake Chad
Lake Chad.Google Maps

DAKAR, Chad — Fifteen people were killed and 130 injured in a series of suicide attacks on Lake Chad's Koulfoua island involving four bombers, Chad's state TV said on Saturday.

Image: Triple suicide blast kills around 30 people in Lake Chad
Lake Chad.Google Maps

"The provisional death toll is 19 dead, including the four kamikazes, and 130 injured," the brief statement said.

The death toll given earlier in the day by security sources was higher at around 30.

The sources said the attacks coincided with market day. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attacks although the swampy maze of islands has previously been targeted by Islamist militant group Boko Haram from neighboring Nigeria.

Chad extended a state of emergency in the region last month after a double suicide attack that killed 12 people.

Earlier this year, thousands of people fleeing Boko Haram sought refuge on the island although it was not immediately clear if they were still based there.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said this week that over 50,000 internally displaced people had arrived in the region since end-July.